Infinitely Losing My Edge
Yeah, I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
The kids are coming up from behind.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids from Sudan and from Tehran.
But I was there.
I was there in 1970.
I was there at the first Onyeabor show in Enugu.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge to the kids whose footsteps I hear when they get on the decks.
I'm losing my edge to the internet seekers who can tell me every member of every good group from 1960 to 1977.
I'm losing my edge.
To all the kids in Lyon and Calgary.
I'm losing my edge to the art-school Bologna kids in little jackets and borrowed nostalgia for the unremembered nineties.
I'm losing my edge.
I'm losing my edge.
I can hear the footsteps every night on the decks.
But I was there.
I was there in 1983 at the first Art of Noise practice in a loft in London.
I was working on the arpeggiator sounds with much patience.
I was there when Holger Czukay started up his first band.
I told him, "Don't do it that way. You'll never make a dime."
I was there.
I was the first guy playing Red Lorry Yellow Lorry to the electroclash kids.
I played it at Cafe Wha.
Everybody thought I was crazy.
We all know.
I was there.
I was there.
I've never been wrong.
But I'm losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and more talent.
And they're actually really, really nice.
I'm losing my edge.
I heard you have a compilation of every good song ever done by anybody.
Every great song by Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane. All the underground hits.
All the Sonics tracks. I heard you have a vinyl of every Pet Shop Boys record on German import.
I heard that you have a white label of every seminal grunge hit - 1985, '86, '87.
I heard that you have a CD compilation of every good '80s cut and another box set from the '90s.
I hear you're buying a marimba and a harpsichord and are throwing your macbook out the window because you want to make something real. You want to make a Funkadelic record.
I hear that you and your band have sold your theremin and bought an oboe.
I hear that you and your band have sold your oboe and bought a theremin.
I hear everybody that you know is more relevant than everybody that I know.
But have you seen my records?
Funky Four + One,
Ten City,
Vladislav Delay,
Subhumans,
Sixth Finger,
Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra,
The Smoke,
Art Ensemble Of Chicago,
The Sonics,
Marvin Gaye,
Robert Görl,
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds,
Ohio Players,
Das Ding,
Dave Gahan,
Sound Behaviour,
Brand Nubian,
AZ,
Symarip,
Camouflage,
The Gap Band,
UT,
the Slits,
Derrick Morgan,
Spoonie Gee,
Soft Cell,
The Buckinghams,
Zapp,
Alphaville,
Newcleus,
Radio Birdman,
The Real Kids,
The Fortunes,
Slick Rick,
Stereo Dub,
Dennis Brown,
the Association,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Tomorrow,
Bill Near,
Quando Quango,
Jimmy McGriff,
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282,
Country Joe & The Fish,
the Sonics,
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,
Jeff Mills,
Donny Hathaway,
Clear Light,
Surgeon,
Byron Stingily,
Crispy Ambulance,
CMW,
Lou Reed,
ABBA,
Bad Manners,
Pagans,
The Cowsills,
Tommy Roe,
Graham Central Station,
Matthew Bourne, Matthew Bourne, Matthew Bourne, Matthew Bourne.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.
You don't know what you really want.